China News Service, Beijing, February 11 (Reporter Sun Zifa) 2024 is the traditional Year of the Dragon for the Chinese nation, and issues related to dragon culture have attracted much attention. According to Han Jianye, an archaeologist and professor at Renmin University of China, the essence of Chinese dragon culture is "respect for heaven and ancestors", that is, awe of heaven, heaven, nature, and natural laws, and the inheritance and imitation of the ancestors' foundations and traditions, which are also excellent Chinese traditions. core component of culture.
Professor Han Jianye said in an interview with the media on the occasion of the New Year of the Year of the Dragon that the image and concept of the dragon have continued from seven to eight thousand years ago to the present day, and also embody many outstanding characteristics of Chinese civilization: Dragon totems have been passed down continuously from prehistoric and historical periods Up to now, it reflects the outstanding continuity of Chinese civilization; dragon worship is often associated with astronomy and observation of time, reflecting the outstanding innovation of Chinese civilization; dragon images and concepts are spread all over the land of China, and they are similar throughout the country, reflecting the outstanding characteristics of Chinese civilization. Unity and inclusiveness; the Chinese dragon is closely related to sacred things such as the saints of heaven and earth, and is very different from the fire-breathing dragon, embodying the outstanding peace of Chinese civilization.
Data map: Turquoise dragon unearthed from the Erlitou site. Photo by China News Network reporter Sun Zifa
He interpreted from an archaeological perspective that the earliest dragon images in China are the large-mouthed fanged dragon on the white pottery of the Gaomiao in Hongjiang, Hunan, more than 7,000 years ago, the dragon with large mouth and fangs on the stone plaque in Tachixigou, Fuxin, Liaoning, and the nearly 20-meter-long stone dragon in Chahai, Fuxin. A dragon built from blocks. The dragon image in the Gaomiao also has wings on both sides, which is a flying dragon.
Among the dragon images dating back more than 6,000 years, the alligator-like clam dragon on the west slope of Puyang, Henan is the most eye-catching. Next to the owner of a tomb, there is a dragon to the east and a tiger to the west. It is considered that the twenty-eight stars in astronomy have appeared. physical evidence of the system. Various fish patterns are popular in the Banpo type of Yangshao Culture. Some of the fish patterns on the front have large fangs. These fish patterns may symbolize dragons in the minds of the ancients. There are also dragon images on the pottery statues of the Zhaobaogou culture.
Many jade dragons were discovered in the Hongshan Culture more than 5,000 years ago, and there were also jade dragons in the Lingjiatan Culture. The salamander patterns on pottery bottles in Wushan, Gangu and other places in Gansu may also be dragon images. The so-called divine and animal facial patterns popular on jade congs from the Liangzhu Culture are actually the divine dragon patterns of gods (deified ancestors) ascending to heaven on dragons, and the fangs can still be seen in the dragon's mouth.
Around the Xia Dynasty, more than 4,000 years ago, dragon images can be seen in Tao Temple in Xiangfen, Shanxi, Shenmu Shimao in Shaanxi, Shijiahe in Tianmen, Hubei, and Xinzhai in Xinmi, Henan. Among them, the dragon on the pottery plate in Taosi Tomb There is a sacred grain in the mouth; the dragon on the Shimao stone carvings is close to the dragon pattern on the bronzes of the late Shang Dynasty; the dragon image on the jades unearthed in Shijiahe and other places still has large fangs, but it is basically a human face. .
In the late Xia Dynasty, 3800 years ago, until after the Shang and Zhou dynasties, more dragon images were discovered in archaeological discoveries. Many of the so-called Taotie patterns on bronzes during the Shang and Zhou dynasties were changed dragon images.
Han Jianye pointed out that the images of flying dragons at the Gaomiao site were imprinted on the surface of pottery, many of which were printed on exquisite white pottery. The image of the dragon is often between a pair of "ladders to heaven", or is held up by a giant phoenix bird. The overall representation is of flying upward into the sky. The Gaomiao site itself has a sacrificial site related to "sacrifice to heaven". Four large square pillar holes with a side length of about 1 meter were discovered. The excavators speculated that it should have been a "ladder-type building", which can be understood as Buildings such as "Ladder to Heaven" or "Temple to Heaven" with the function of reaching the sky. The fanged animal mask pattern on the stone tablet-shaped vessel found in the house at the Chixigou site, and the S-shaped patterns on both sides of the animal's head resemble the body of a dragon, which should be the same image of a flying dragon as the Gaomiao fang animal mask pattern.
He believes that the archaeological discoveries of these two dragon images show that as early as seven or eight thousand years ago, the belief in worshiping heaven and dragons may have been widespread in the vast area from Hunan in the south to western Liaoning in the north. It is an early part of China's " Important physical evidence of the "monistic" cosmology.
Data map: Dragon pattern bricks from the Southern Dynasties (420-589) on display in the Changzhou Museum. Photo by China News Network reporter Sun Zifa
Han Jianye emphasized that the dragon is a sacred object that can communicate with heaven and earth in the beliefs of ancient Chinese ancestors. Although it is often presented in the form of a fusion of certain animals, it cannot be simply understood as one animal. There are many legends related to dragons in China: Fuxi and Nuwa, the ancestor of the Chinese people, were born wearing dragon scales. Fuxi and Nuwa were often painted with human heads and dragon bodies in tomb portraits from the Han Dynasty and later; "On February 2, Dragon "Look up." Around the second day of the second lunar month, the dragon-horned star of the Eastern Canglong Qisu appears on the horizon, which means the beginning of spring plowing. This day also happens to be the birthday of the legendary Fuxi Nuwa, which also shows the close relationship between Fuxi and the dragon.
In addition, Confucius once likened Lao Tzu, whom he admired, to a dragon, "As for the dragon, I don't know. It rides on the wind and clouds and rises to the sky. When I see Lao Tzu today, he is like an evil dragon." Precisely because the Chinese consider themselves to be the sons and grandsons of the dragon, they are the "descendants of the dragon."
"Today we should strengthen the protection of material and intangible cultural heritage related to dragon culture, deeply explore and interpret the connotation of dragon culture, clarify its development and evolution, and inherit the outstanding characteristics of Chinese civilization contained in dragon culture, as well as the method of respecting heaven. Cultural genes such as ancestors, integrity, benevolence, and harmony allow the Chinese nation to soar like a dragon across the world," Han Jianye said. (over)